Tag: Wonderful Dharma

• The Monkey, the Cow, and the Crown Jewel

  

  “The Monkey, the Cow, and the Crown Jewel” is a musical journey into a profound spiritual paradox from 13th-century Japan. Inspired by Nichiren Daishonin’s letter, the Urabon Gosho, the song tells the story of Lord Jibu, a priest described as lacking wisdom and dignity—like a “monkey or a cow”. Yet, he is praised in the…

  William Altig

  October 31, 2025

  music

  Acoustic Guitar, Borrowed Light, Broken Vessel, Buddhism, Cinematic, Contemplative, Crown Jewel, daimoku, Diamond Chalice Precept, Dignity like a Monkey, Dragon Guarding Relics, Epic, Eternal Light, faith, faith alone, Flawed Priest, folk rock, indie folk, Japanese history, Jibu-bō, Latter Day of the Law, Lord Jibu, Lotus Sutra, Mappo, Mappō, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Nichiren Buddhism, Orchestral Folk, Philosophy, Primacy of Faith, Seven Generations, Singer-Songwriter, Snake Holding a Gem, Spiritual, Strings, Supreme Jewel, The Monkey the Cow and the Crown Jewel, The William Altig Choir, Theology, Treatise on the Ullambana Service, Uplifting, Urabon Gosho, Wisdom like a Cow, Wonderful Dharma, Śākyamuni Buddha

• A 13th-Century Monk’s Paradox That Reimagines Enlightenment

  

  We often picture spiritual wisdom as a distant peak, accessible only to the most dedicated climbers. The common cultural image suggests that the deepest truths are complex, abstract, and reserved for an elite few—monks, scholars, or gurus who have spent decades in seclusion and study. We assume that the path to enlightenment is an arduous…

  William Altig

  October 18, 2025

  Nichiren

  Buddha-nature, Common Teaching, daimoku, Democratization of Enlightenment, Doctrinal Classification, emptiness, faith, Five Periods and Eight Teachings, Great Concentration and Insight, Latter Day of the Law, Law-Power, Lotus Sutra, Mappo, middle way, Myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren, One Buddha Vehicle, Other-Power (*tariki*), Paradox of Truth, Perfect Teaching, Provisional Existence, Provisional Teachings, Risshō Ankoku Ron, Self-Power (*jiriki*), Skillful Means, Specific Teaching, Spiritual Elitism, T’ien-t’ai Zhiyi, The truer the teaching the lower the stage, Threefold Truth, Tientai, Tripitaka Teaching, True Teachings, Upaya, Wonderful Dharma

• 5 Ancient Buddhist Ideas That Turn the Path to Enlightenment on Its Head

  

  Introduction: The Long Road to Enlightenment Just Got Shorter For many, the word “enlightenment” conjures images of an arduous spiritual quest. We picture a path demanding decades, if not lifetimes, of disciplined meditation, extreme self-denial, and unwavering effort. It’s a goal reserved for the most dedicated ascetics, a distant peak at the end of a…

  William Altig

  October 14, 2025

  Chapter 10, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, Buddha-nature, Buddhahood, Chapter 10 (The Teacher of the Dharma), Dharmakāya, Ekayāna, Enlightenment, Gradual Path, Gāthā, Ichinen Sanzen, Instantaneous Assurance, Joyful Faith, Lotus Sutra, Medicine-King Bodhisattva, Moment’s Thought of Joy, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren, One Vehicle, Parable of the Burning House, Phrase, Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, Skillful Means, Strenuous Effort, Sudden Awakening, Tathāgatagarbha, Tiantai School, Transmission, upāya, Votary’s Mission, Wonderful Dharma

• 4 Shocking Lessons on Conviction from the Lotus Sutra

  

  Introduction: More Than Just a Promise We’ve all made promises. Some are small, but others are profound vows that shape the course of our lives—a commitment to a person, a cause, or a belief. We tend to think of conviction as a straightforward matter of sincerity and willpower. If you believe strongly enough and are…

  William Altig

  October 5, 2025

  Chapter 13, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Abhaya, Abhaya Mudra, arhats, Arrogant false sages, Arrogant lay people, Arrogant priests, Bhaiṣajyarāja, Bhikshunis, Bodhisattvas, Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Buddha’s extinction, Chapter 13, Chapter 15 (Emerging from the Earth), Delegated authority, ekayāna (one vehicle), Encouraging Devotion (Kan Ji), Essential Teaching (Honmon), Evil Age, Fearless Vow, Great Delight in Speaking, Karmic Purification, Kṣānti, kosen-rufu, Latter Day of the Law, Lotus Sūtra, Mahāprajāpatī, Mahāpratibhāna, Mappō, Medicine King, Miao-lo, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, Not sparing bodies and lives, perseverance, Predictions of Buddhahood (vyākaraṇa), Propagation of the Dharma, Saha world, Spiritual conflict, Superficial Connection, Theoretical Teaching (Shakumon), Three Powerful Enemies, Tiantai Buddhism, Votary of the Lotus Sūtra, Wonderful Dharma, Yaśodharā, Zhiyi, Śākyamuni Buddha

• 5 Mind-Bending Truths from a 2,000-Year-Old Buddhist Verse That Will Change How You See Everything

  

  1.0 Introduction: The Four-Line Verse That Unlocks a New Reality Imagine a scene from deep antiquity: atop the sacred Vulture Peak, the Buddha addresses a cosmic assembly of gods, dragons, celestial musicians, and all manner of beings, both human and non-human. This epic setting is a deliberate signal that the teaching to come will shatter…

  William Altig

  September 25, 2025

  Chapter 10, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Advaita Vedanta, anātman (no-self), Bhaiṣajyarāja, Brahman, Buddhahood, Chapter Ten, Cosmic Assembly, dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda), emptiness (śūnyatā), equality and differences of all things, eternal Pure Land, eyes of the Buddha, gatha, keep this sūtra, Lotus Sūtra, Madhyamaka school, Mahayana Buddhism, Mappō, Medicine-King Bodhisattva, Nichiren Buddhism, Nirvana, Non-attachment, non-duality (Advaya), Nāgārjuna, Offerings, One Vehicle (Ekayāna), Saha world, Samsara, seven parables, Skillful means (Upāya), spiritual healing, Taoism, third eye, Tiantai Buddhism, Ultimate Truth, virtue of giving (dāna-pāramitā), Vulture Peak, wisdom eye, Wonderful Dharma, ātman

• The Bodhisattva Never-Despising and the Embodiment of the Wonderful Dharma

  

  Executive Summary This briefing document analyzes Chapter Twenty of the Lotus Sūtra, focusing on the story of the Bodhisattva Sadāparibhūta (Never-Despising Bodhisattva). The narrative serves as a foundational blueprint for Mahayana Buddhist practice, asserting that the “Wonderful Dharma” (Saddharma Puṇḍarıˉka) is not merely theoretical but an active, compassionate engagement with the world. The core message…

  William Altig

  September 13, 2025

  Chapter 20, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  active tolerance, Always Despised, Avichi hell, Bodhisattva Never-Despising, Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Buddha-nature, Buddhahood, Cháng bù qīng púsà, Constantly Abused, Ekayaˉna, Enlightenment, Internal Transformation, Jōfukyō Bosatsu, Karmic Transformation, King of Majestic Voices, Kumārajīva, Lotus Sūtra, Mahayana Buddhism, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, Non-duality of Self and Environment, One Vehicle, overcoming disparagement, poison-drum relationship, respect, reverence, Saddharma Puṇḍarıˉka, Sadāparibhūta, six senses, Skillful Means, Spiritual Practice, Universal Buddhahood, universal salvation, upaˉya, veneration, Wonderful Dharma

• The Paradox of Slander in the Lotus Sūtra

  

  Date: September 7, 2025 Subject: An Exegesis of the Lotus Sūtra’s Paradox on Slander: Why Slandering a Practitioner is Graver Than Slandering the Buddha 1. Introduction: The Core Paradox The Lotus Sūtra presents a profound paradox in Chapter 10, stating that “If for the space of an aeon, one were to harbor an unwholesome mind,…

  William Altig

  September 10, 2025

  Chapter 10, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  benefiting others, Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, Buddha, Buddhahood, Cause-Awakened Ones, Chapter 10, Chapter 20, Compassion, Cosmology, cutting off seeds of Buddhahood, devilish functions, Dharma emissary, Dharma Masters, Dharma practitioner, Dharma propagation, Ekayāna, emissaries of the Buddha, fundamental ignorance, gravest transgression, Hell of Incessant Suffering, hōbō, immeasurable retributions, kalpa, karmic causality, Karmic Connection, karmic paradox, Karmic Retribution, land and age of evil, living embodiment of the Dharma, lotus flower, Lotus Sūtra, Mahayana Buddhist thought, Medicine-King Bodhisattva, Merit, moral causation, Myoho, Mystic Law, Nichiren Daishonin, One Vehicle, ontological status, Parable of the Plants, Parable of the Three Kinds of Medicinal Herbs and Two Kinds of Trees, Paradox, Persecution, phalavipaka, positive potential, punya, qualitative difference, relics, reverence, Self-Benefit, Shakyamuni Buddha, sharira, Skillful Means, Slander, Slandering the True Dharma, spiritual sabotage, stupa, Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, Tathagatas, Teacher of the Dharma, Thus Come One, tree and sapling analogy, true entity of life, ultimate Law, Universal Enlightenment, upāya, Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, Voice-Hearers, Votary, Wonderful Dharma, World-Honored One

• The Lotus Sutra, the One Vehicle, and Nichiren’s Embodiment of Buddha’s Mind

  

  I. Executive Summary This briefing document examines the profound doctrinal shift introduced by the Lotus Sūtra within Mahayana Buddhism, particularly its declaration of the “One Vehicle” (Ekayāna) as the ultimate path to universal enlightenment, transcending prior teachings as “expedient means” (upāya). It highlights the pivotal narrative in Chapter Six where the Buddha’s foremost disciples, representing…

  William Altig

  September 1, 2025

  Chapter 6, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Arhatship, Bodhisattva, Bodily Reading, Buddha’s Mind, Buddhahood, chanting, Diamond Sūtra, emptiness (śūnyatā), Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land, Expedient Means (Upāya), Hinayana, inner transformation, Latter Day of the Law, Lotus Sūtra, Lotus Sūtra Chapter Six, mahayana, Mahā-Kātyāyana, Mahā-Kāśyapa, Maudgalyāyana, Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō (Daimoku), Nichiren, Omniscience, One Vehicle (Ekayāna), Prajñāpāramitā, Pratyekabuddha, Prophecy of Buddhahood, Provisional Teachings, pure and far-reaching voice, Socially Engaged Buddhism, Societal Responsibility, Subhūti, Three Thousand Realms in a Single Thought-Moment, Transcendent Buddha, Treatise on Opening the Eyes of Buddhist Images, Unsurpassed Wisdom, Voidness, Wonderful Dharma, Śrāvaka

• Buddhas Live in the Lotus Sutra

  

  This briefing document reviews the core themes and essential ideas presented in “Buddhas Live in the Lotus Sutra: A Reflective Essay,” focusing on Nichiren Daishonin’s profound insights into the unique status of the Lotus Sutra. Main Themes and Most Important Ideas/Facts: 1. The Lotus Sutra as the Essential “Environment” for Buddhas Core Idea: Nichiren Daishonin…

  William Altig

  August 12, 2025

  Nichiren

  Anicca, Attain Buddhahood, Birds, Buddha-nature, Buddha’s robe of compassion, Buddha’s true heirs, Buddhahood, Buddhism, Call to action, Chapter 16, Compassion, Constant guidance, Dependent existence, Devadatta, Dragon King’s daughter, Dukkha, Enlightenment, Essential environment, Eternal Buddha, Everlasting Dharma, faith, Fish, Frogs, Full enlightenment, Good karma, Gosho, Impermanence, Indian lizard, Inner stability, joy, kṛkalāsa, King Rinda, King Wonderful Adornment, Letter from Sado, Life Span Chapter, Living presence of Buddhahood, Lotus Jewels, Lotus Sutra, Medium for Buddhahood, Nam-myōhō-renge-kyō, Nichiren, Nichiren Daishonin, Nichiren Shu News, On Practicing the Buddha’s Teachings, One Vehicle, One-eyed turtle parable, peaceful practices, Persecution, perseverance, Philosophy, Provisional sutras, Rare opportunity, Religion, Reply to the Mother of Lord Ueno, Riches of the Law, Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, Scaffolding metaphor, Shakyamuni Buddha, Slander, Spirituality, Supreme teaching, The One-eyed Turtle and the Floating Log, The Selection of the Time, The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Transitory attachments, True Dharma, Udumbara flower, Ultimate reality, Ultimate Teaching, votary of the Lotus Sutra, wisdom, Wonderful Dharma

• The Lotus Sutra’s Paradox: Rarity vs. Eternal Buddha

  

  1. Introduction: The Dynamic Revelations of Truth in the Lotus Sūtra The Lotus Sūtra (Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtram) is a foundational and highly influential text in Mahāyāna Buddhism, particularly in East Asia. It presents key Mahāyāna tenets such as the One Vehicle (ekayāna), the distinction between expedient and ultimate teachings, and the revolutionary concept of the…

  William Altig

  July 26, 2025

  Chapter 16, Chapter 2, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law, Uncategorized

  air analogy, antithesis, apparent Nirvāṇa, apparent paradox, arrogance, aspiration for enlightenment, Bodhicitta, Buddha wisdom, Buddha’s immeasurable lifespan, Buddhism, casting off the transient and revealing the true, Chapter Sixteen, Chapter Two, complacency, cultivating recognition, Devadatta, Dharmakāya, dialectical framework, difficulty of encounter, dust particle kalpas, Ekayāna, equality, Eternal Lifespan of the Tathāgata, expedient teachings, faith, false views, far distant past, feigned death, five thousand Bhikshus, Great Vehicle Dharma, historical Shakyamuni Buddha, human inability, immanence of Dharma, inconceivable Dharma, infrequent appearance, Inherent Buddhahood, interconnectedness, Lotus Sūtra, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Meditation, Nirmāṇakāya, Nishyanda Buddha, non-dualistic realization, non-judgmental compassion, objective reality, obstruction of sense organs, One Vehicle, original enlightenment, Parable of the Plants, Parable of the Skilled Physician, pedagogical strategy., pervasive Dharma, Philosophy, potential for Buddhahood, practice, preciousness, prejudice, profound Dharma, Provisional Teachings, provisional to the real, rarity vs. eternal presence, Religion, reverence, Sambhogakāya, shallow merits, Skillful Means, Small Vehicle Dharma, spiritual readiness, spiritual truths, Spirituality, subjective experience, synthesis, thesis, Three Bodies of the Buddha, three vehicles, Trikāya, true entity of all phenomena, Udumbara flower, ultimate teachings, Universal Buddhahood, unsurpassed Way, upāya, urgency, Vairochana Buddha, virtuous roots, Wonderful Dharma